Hi, my bookish friend!
This week, libraries and bookstores (and the people who work there) receive the love and support they deserve! We’re in the middle of National Library Week, and this Saturday, April 25th, is Independent Bookstore Day!
So, to honor these two bookish events, today I’m sharing a list of books about bookstores, libraries, and, well, books! For a fun twist, I asked Substack readers for book recommendations. And, wow, did you deliver!
Plus, this week’s Bookish News Updates includes Oprah’s latest book club pick, new movie adaptations, hot celebrity memoirs, and a can’t-miss buzzy book!
Happy Reading!
Your friend,
Audry
P.S. - All the book links in this week’s post will send you to Bookshop.org. (Because local independent bookstores benefit from your purchases! Plus, 20% off for Earth Day now through May 1, 2026!)
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Bookish Recs: Charming Books About Bookstores and Libraries
Books about books, libraries, or bookstores will always be a favorite among readers! In April alone, two new buzz-worthy releases, The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer and Love by the Book by Jessica George, hit the shelves.
So when I asked Susbstack readers in this note for books with a bookstore or library theme, it was no surprise how many of you showed up!
⭐ My Picks From This List…
(It was so hard to decide! There were so many intriguing choices!)
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum (via )
Burned out after life goes exactly the way she was told it should, Yeongju takes a leap and opens a bookshop in a quiet neighborhood in Seoul. As customers walk through her doors, each carrying their own disappointments and dreams, the Hyunam-dong Bookshop becomes a cozy place where they slowly learn that it’s never too late to start over.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (via and )
In post-war Barcelona, Daniel, the son of an antiquarian book dealer, stumbles onto a mysterious novel called The Shadow of the Wind and becomes obsessed with finding its reclusive author, Julián Carax. But he soon discovers a chilling secret: someone has been hunting down and destroying every book Carax ever wrote, pulling Daniel into a dark story of love, loss, and murder.
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (via )
A small independent bookstore in Minneapolis becomes the center of a haunting when its most irritating customer dies on All Souls’ Day and refuses to leave. As bookstore worker Tookie tries to solve the mystery, she also faces a year filled with grief, isolation, and big questions about what we owe the living, the dead, and the stories we carry with us.
Lulu Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsty Manning (via )
In the small town of Troy, Georgia, Beverly Underwood and Lula Dean are on opposite sides of a growing fight over banned books, with Lula leading a crusade against stories she has never even read. But when a sneaky switch at Lula’s little front-yard library fills it with banned titles (gay romance, Judy Blume, witchy books, black history) instead of “safe” ones, the whole town starts changing in ways nobody expects!
You’re invited to join the fun at Bookish AF! 🤓
More Reader Recs to Browse!
I wish I could write about every single one of your book recs. But to keep this post from turning into a novel, I sorted and linked all the remaining books. It’s like bookshelves at a virtual bookshop or library! So many great finds here!
🏡 Cozy Bookstore Vibes
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (via )
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood (via )
The Bookshop of New Beginnings by Jen Mouat (via )
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (via )
Twigs Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy (via )
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble
The Bookstore Diaries by Susan Mallery
✨ Magical, Mysterious Libraries
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (via )
The Charmed Library by Jennifer Moorman
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
The Library of Fates by Margot Harrison
The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges (via )
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (via )
🕯️ Atmospheric, Literary, and Romantic Reads
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry (via )
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue (via )
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson (via )
🔍 Bookish Mysteries & Historical Fiction
The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill (via )
The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes (via )
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray (via )
Library Fuzz by James Holding (via )
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (via )
Lighthouse Library Mystery Series by Eva Gates (via )
📖 Books About Books
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (via )
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (via )
📚 Book Lover Nonfiction
Bookshops: A Reader’s History by Jorge Carrión (via )
The Bookshop: The History of American Bookstores by Evan Friss (via )
A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel (via )
A huge thank-you to everyone who shared a recommendation! 💗 If I missed adding your recommendation, first, my apologies. And second, you can still add it to the comments!
Bookish Celebrations Happening Now!
National Library Week: April 19-25, 2026
This year’s theme, “Find Your Joy,” celebrates libraries, librarians, and the communities they serve! Join the celebration by stopping by your local library, getting your library card, or attending a special event! For more information, visit the National Library Week page and the I Love Libraries site.
Independent Bookstore Day: April 25, 2026
If you love supporting local bookshops, mark your calendar for the 13th annual celebration of indie bookstores. Around 2,000 bookstores are expected to join in with exclusive books, special merch, author events, and scavenger hunts. (And, I believe, cupcakes are a possibility!) Find participating stores here!
Also, read about my favorite indie bookshops in last year’s post: What to Love About Indie Bookshops!
Bookish AF News Updates
Oprah’s 122nd Book Club Pick Is …
Go Gentle by Maria Semple! The story follows a divorced philosopher navigating motherhood, money, and a very unexpected disruption to her carefully controlled life. From the author of one of my favorite reads, Where’d You Go, Bernadette, this book looks equally smart, chaotic, and a little bit unhinged (in a good way).
Book-to-Screen News
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke is officially getting a movie adaptation … and Anne Hathaway is set to star and produce!
The Practical Magic 2 teaser trailer just dropped. I’m so excited for this adaptation!
Hot Celebrity Memoirs
I Choose Me by Jennie Garth offers behind-the-scenes life after 90210!
Famesick by Lena Dunham takes on fame, identity, and navigating chronic illness.
Most Anticipated Release This Week
We Burned So Bright by T. J. Klune comes out on April 28th. I missed this book in last week’s post! But it looks like such a fun read about a couple in their golden years who take on “an end-of-the-world road trip.”
Bookish Quote of the Week
“I’m of a fearsome mind to throw my arms around every living librarian who crosses my path, on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved.”
― Barbara Kingsolver
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More Bookish AF Fun:
Last year, I shared my favorite bookshops, plus more book recs with a bookshop theme!
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